Scout project plants new life in aging Arcadia citrus grove

A teenager prepares for months, sometimes even years, to obtain the rank of Eagle Scout.

Jacob Staudenmaier, an eighth-grade student at Ingleside Middle School in the Scottsdale Unified School District, is one step closer to achieving this.

After approximately six to nine months of preparation and work, he has completed his Eagle Scout project: renovating the Shemer Art Center’s citrus grove, 5005 E. Camelback Road.

Boy Scouts working toward obtaining the Eagle rank must perform a service project in their communities.

“These projects provide an important opportunity for the Scouts to demonstrate and further develop leadership skills while instilling in them the value and satisfaction of community service,” said John Moody, scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 6, in the Arcadia neighborhood of east Phoenix.

“A year ago, I was looking for a place to do my project at,” said Staudenmaier, 14, who lives in the Arcadia area near the museum. “I thought about the Shemer since I’ve known it for a long time and we live close. I really like art, too.”

Historically, the Arcadia area was made up of citrus farms starting in the early 1900s.

“Here at the Shemer is one of the few places where we can celebrate that, where we can honor that heritage,” said Michael Dollin, a Shemer volunteer and landscape architect. “Jacob is the next generation to remember that.”

The citrus trees on the Shemer property were dying or stressed, Dollin said.

“We talked to the Shemer board about it (citrus trees),” he said. “It was on a wish list of projects as there were not enough funds.”

When Staudenmaier and Dollin teamed up, the project was under way.

The process of renovating the orchard started with fundraising.

Staudenmaier said he sent out more than 80 letters and raised $5,000. He also got some supplies donated by local citrus growers and vendors, including Baker Nursery, Berridge Nurseries, Greenfield Citrus Nursery, Artisan Colour and Singh Farms.

People still can contribute to the project by participating in the donor-tree program, where they can donate a $250 tree as a memorial. “This will be an ongoing program,” Dollin said.

Staudenmaier said 75 volunteers, including fellow troop members, showed up on Jan. 25 to help plant the citrus trees, logging a total of 245 volunteer hours that day.

“The Shemer really has since day one wanted to become a major part of our community and neighborhood of Arcadia,” said Jocelyn Hanson, Shemer Art Center executive director. “We had Boy Scouts, their parents and their supporters all come out to help; it just really was this wonderful community outpouring that we had wanted ever since we opened.”

“Everyone came prepared to work hard,” Staudenmaier added. “It was a really big help because we got things done faster.”

Staudenmaier will be working toward the next step in obtaining his ranking. He must now complete further paperwork, meet with a scoutmaster and go in front of two different, high-level boards of review before he can officially become an Eagle Scout. He is hoping to complete the process by May.

“There are a lot of steps to get to it, but when you achieve it, it’s a very rewarding thing,” Staudenmaier said.

Boy Scout Troop 6 has produced 178 Eagle Scouts since its founding in 1934.

“Looking to the future, I am extremely proud of all of our Scouts, and particularly our Eagle candidates like Jacob, for advancing this proud history and important mission of Troop 6 and Scouting,” said Scoutmaster Moody.

With the help of his troop members, parents, volunteers and Shemer staff, Staudenmaier was able to preserve a part of Arcadia’s history.

“I believe in this idea that we all have a responsibility to take care of and make our community better, especially when a 14 year old puts it off,” Dollin said. “It’s like, yes, I have faith in the future of America.”

A formal dedication will take place the weekend of March 1 during the Shemer Art Center’s MicroDwell and Micro Urban Gardening Weekend.

For more information, e-mail Heidi Staudenmaier at hstaudenmaier@swlaw.com.

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